Dadaituo Sinkhole Cluster Landscape in Pingtang, Guizhou

This is a landscape of an extensive sinkhole and doline cluster located 16 km from Tangbian Town in Pingtang County. The cluster is in the Triassic carbonaceous rocks. The Dadaituo sinkhole is 547 m deep and has a north-south length of 1,830 m. Its bottom occupies an area of approximately 800,000 m². The sinkholes are approximately round and irregular, and they are surrounded by steep cliffs. The cave bottom has an exposed river channel approximately 2,000 m long with two inlets and one outlet. During flood periods, the sinkhole becomes a pool because the drainage capacity is inadequate. There is also a layer of soft mud and sand covered with reeds. At the sinkhole margin, where flood waters do not reach, there is a dense woodland that accommodates a group of active wild macaques. Along the Bawang River, 12 sinkholes form a sinkhole cluster with a depth of more than 300 m. They cover approximately 20 km²at elevations of 1,138–548 m. Approximately 10 km east of the sinkhole is the...